ODESSA, Texas – The Rogers State baseball team dropped game one of a Heartland Conference series at Texas-Permian Basin, 2-0, but battled back to split the twin bill Friday with a 7-1 victory in the night cap.
After a tough opener where the Falcons kept them scoreless, the Hillcats posted runs early and often cruising to the win in game two.
GAME ONE
In what turned out to be a pitcher's duel, UTPB got a great performance from starting pitcher Ethan Blucher who allowed just three hits in six innings of work getting the win on the mound.
RSU's Mason Marquette had another quality outing giving up one earned run over 5.2 innings with only four hits but took the loss dropping to 5-4 during his senior campaign.
After leaving two on base in the second, the Falcons gave Blucher all the run support he would need tallying a third-inning run. Blake Goodwyn reached on a two-out single before scoring on a double by Trey Cochran. UTPB got an insurance run in the fourth on another two-out double, this time off the bat of Colin Kowal.
Brad Paramapoonya pitched a perfect seventh registering his fourth save of the season.
GAME TWO
The bats came alive in the second game as RSU quickly took the lead against starter Brian Woody and never looked back posting the game's first seven runs. The Diamond Cats scored in five of the first six innings securing the doubleheader split 7-1.
The Hillcats broke through in the first inning when Chase Knott drew a one-out walk and came around to score on Blake Gipson's double to center. The advantage for RSU stretched to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the second on a double by Joe Crow scoring Hunter Spencer and James Marks after each walked with two outs.
A two-run fourth gave Hillcat starter T.J. Law more than enough cushion as the junior held the Falcons to one run over eight innings scattering eight hits for his third of the year. Two UTPB errors aided the runs for RSU in the frame.
Spencer drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth scoring Knott and Alex Cochran plated the seventh run for the Diamond Cats in the top of the sixth scoring on a fielder's choice by Caleb Kohlmeyer.
UTPB got its only run of the ballgame in the eighth started by a lead-off double but the damage was done as RSU earned the split winning 7-1.
Knott led the offense with two hits, while six other Hillcats recorded a hit, and he was joined by Spencer scoring twice.
Rogers State (17-23, 10-16 HC) closes the weekend series with the Falcons Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Live stats are available from UTPB at http://www.sidearmstats.com/utpb/baseball/.
